#809 Weinstein Survivor Turned Therapist - Kaja Sokola

#809 Weinstein Survivor Turned Therapist - Kaja Sokola

What are the common struggles and victories in addiction recovery? This conversation between host Paul Gilmartin and guest Kaja Sokola feels like sitting in on a brutally honest therapy session with a dark sense of humour. Kaja, a former model from Poland who became a psychologist and psychotherapist, talks through a lifetime of feeling like an outsider, early bullying, and the emotional cost of the modelling industry.

She shares how “bulimia and anorexia… are diseases of emotions” and how her alcoholism and eating disorders danced together for years before long-term sobriety took hold. Her message is clear: “Recovery… is a life process. You're never out of the woods.” You’ll hear Kaja describe being one of Harvey Weinstein’s youngest victims, the impact of that trauma on her sense of self, and how it rerouted her life away from acting and towards psychology.

The therapist side of Kaja shines as she breaks down how sexual assault, domestic abuse and addiction intertwine, why survivors may act out sexually, and how society often minimises abuse with excuses like “but he’s a great father.” Her plea to families of addicts is simple and sharp: “If you see someone down, you don't kick them.” Paul weaves in his own update on depression, physical therapy, and 23 years of sobriety, reflecting on the relentless inner critic and the slow, tiny wins of learning to meet that voice with compassion instead of self-hate.

She also addresses family addiction patterns, a recent relapse after her father’s death, and the painful reality of relatives trying to weaponise her addiction history against her as she works to stay sober and protect her child. If you’re wrestling with addiction, trauma, or that vicious voice in your head, this conversation might leave you asking: what would change if you stopped minimising your own story?